The life of the parent and the life of the child

are bound together as one.

Jacob, believing that Joseph, the son born to him by his beloved Rachel,

had been torn apart by a wild animal (Genesis 37:3; 44:28),

said that if anything were to happen to Rachel's other son, Benjamin,

it would bring his gray head down to the grave in sorrow (42:38; Ref.: 44:29).

This illustrates how deeply Jacob's life was bound up with the life of his son Benjamin (44:30).

So, Judah, Jacob's son, said to the Egyptian governor (Joseph),

"When we return to our father, if the boy is not with us,

and our father sees that the boy is not there, he will die.

We will be responsible for bringing our gray-haired father down to the grave in sorrow ...

How can I go back to my father if the boy is not with me?

I could not bear to see the misery that would come upon my father" (vv. 30-31, 34).

As I meditate on this passage,

I recall saying to my daughter a few years ago,

‘I lost my first baby, Charis, who died in my arms.

If I were to lose you too, I don't think I could go on living.’

The verse about the life of the parent and the life of the child

being bound together as one (v. 30) resonates deeply with me.